The invention relates to systems and methods for treating teeth. More specifically, the invention relates to a system (e.g., a novel delivery system) for delivering a tooth whitener to a tooth is and a method for whitening teeth. The invention likewise relates to a system and method for whitening teeth without the use of a mouth tray or other retaining device of the type which retain the tooth whitener in place against the teeth during use.
Tooth whiteners are known. Conventional tooth whiteners are laborious, unwieldy, and expensive.
Conventional tooth whitening methods are complicated and expensive, and, hence, are limited to a small portion of the population.
In one typical method, the patient whose teeth are to be whitened must first visit a dentist in order to have a mouth tray made which is molded to fit that patient""s teeth from a cast made from an impression.
After the conventional steps of producing the mouth tray have been completed, then the mouth tray is given to the patient, along with the tooth whitening compound(s).
In some tooth whitening methods, the patient then takes the tooth whitening compounds home, and uses them in conjunction with the mouth tray in the privacy of his or her home.
In use, the mouth tray is at least partially filled by the patient with the tooth whitening compound provided by the dental practitioner.
The patient must then take the proper mouth tray for the respective upper or lower jaw and press the mouth tray filled with whitening compound up (or down) against the teeth to be whitened.
The patient then holds the mouth tray filled with the compound in place against the teeth for a specified period of time.
After the specified period of time, the patient removes the mouth tray and the bulk of the compound, and discards the used whitening compound.
Typically, the whitening procedure is a multi-day procedure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,691 to Sagel et al. discloses a delivery system for a tooth whitener using a strip of material having low flexural stiffness.
Some known conventional whitening methods (e.g., the type of methods that utilize either an traditional tray or an adhesive strip) require that the whitening compound be forced on the gingival tissue in the region adjacent to the teeth to be whitened. That forcing whitening compound on the gingival tissue may result in a burning sensation to that tissue.
Known prior art patents include:
Many known whitening compounds have the drawback that they dry out the teeth, in use, owing to the whitening compounds drawing moisture out of the teeth. Such dried out teeth are more sensitive to hot and cold. Accordingly, many prior art whiteners required desensitizers (desensitizing compounds) so that the patients would not be bothered by their temperature-sensitive dried out teeth.
It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art methods, compounds, and devices.
A further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method that is easier to use, more cost effective, and available to a greater percentage of the population.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method that eliminates the need for mouth trays which fit the respective upper and lower sets of teeth in the patient""s mouth for retaining the whitening compound against the teeth to be whitened, as in the conventional methods.
Yet another object of the invention is to eliminate entirely the need for a mouth tray to retain the tooth whitening compound.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening method which is easier to use than the known methods.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which dries out the user""s teeth less than conventional whitening methods, so that the use of tooth desensitizing agents in the whitening compound may be reduced or eliminated.
A further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitener system and method that directly applies a whitening agent onto the surfaces of the patient""s teeth, thus eliminating the need for any type of tray or other mechanical retention device to retain the whitening agent on the surfaces of the teeth.
Another object of the invention is to provide a whitener delivery system which reduces or eliminates the discomfort or burning sensation of the patient""s gingival tissue that may occur when using prior art delivery systems.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system in which the whitening compounds are applied substantially directly to the facial and labial surfaces of the teeth to be whitened.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which reduce or eliminate the annoyance and inconvenience of using and wearing pre-made trays or adhesive-type products.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a tooth whitening system and method which are more effective than known over-the-counter whitening methods requiring the use of boil-and-bite type trays that do not fit the teeth properly and, hence, are often ineffective and result in less than desirable tooth whitening.
In summary, the invention provides a tooth whitening method which can be performed without the use of a mouth tray for retaining a tooth whitening compound against the patient""s teeth.
It should be understood that relative terms such as up, and down are for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting.
It should likewise be understood that throughout the specification the features and advantages described in connection with the tooth whitening system apply equally to the features and advantages of the method of whitening teeth described herein.